Performance Characteristics of a Catamaran in Transforming Near-Shore Waters

The hydrodynamic performance of a catamaran with full-scale geometry of a WAM-V 16 unmanned surface vehicle operating in limited-depth waters is investigated. Resistance, sinkage and trim of the catamaran in shallow to intermediate water depths are characterized over a range of Froude numbers using unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes modeling and simulation of the catamaran’s motion under free trim and sinkage conditions. Wake characteristics, including wave patterns in the wake and Kelvin wake angle, are described. The performance of the catamaran’s motion in head and following seas in waves transforming over a beach is described.